Montego Bay Race Draws 15 Boats

February 1, 1991|By STEVE WATERS, Outdoors Writer

Time was when most everybody who was anybody in ocean racing sailed in the Pineapple Cup Montego Bay Race. Now, after a sluggish period in the late 1970s and early `80s when entries dwindled from more than 50 boats to a handful, interest in the race is growing, especially among those seeking to establish their reputations.

A fleet of 15 boats will leave Fort Lauderdale for Montego Bay, Jamaica, today at 3 p.m. Included are 1993-94 Whitbread Round the World Race candidates Challenge America and Fazisi USA; Congere, which completed the Fort Lauderdale-to-Key West race in record time three weeks ago; and an all-female crew from Jamaica.

Last year, only seven boats sailed in the 811-mile race, which features daily landfalls and unpredictable winds. The race can take up to six days to complete. Windward Passage averaged 10.7 knots to set the record of 3 days, 3 hours, 40 minutes in 1971.

``I think interest in ocean racing is growing,`` said Skip Mansfield, co- chairman of the race. And the most interest appears to be in ``a race that goes somewhere.``

Mansfield said that Jack King, commodore of the Storm Trysail Club in Larchmont, N.Y., might have put it best when he said, ``Ocean racing`s back and here`s the race that`s going to prove it.``

Teddy Turner also has something to prove: that his Challenge America syndicate has what it takes to compete in the Whitbread. The recent Fort Lauderdale-to-Key West Race, at 160 miles, is the longest race Challenge America has sailed in.

At least some of the crew of Fazisi USA sailed in the 1989-90 Whitbread. Competing as Fazisi, the first entry from the Soviet Union to compete in the Whitbread, the boat finished 11th out of 23 entries.

As Fazisi USA, a joint venture between United States and Soviet Union interests, the boat has many new faces. The Montego Bay Race, along with races such as St. Thomas-Bermuda and Antigua Race Week, will provide an opportunity for the new crew -- five Soviets and 17 Americans -- to see how well its members work together. If needed, personnel changes will be made.

Four of the Soviets, including Fazisi USA project director Vladislav Murnikov, competed in the last Whitbread. American sailors include Peter Grimm and Steve Colgate.

``For us, our main goal is to invite different people, sail with them and find people who will join our project,`` said Murnikov. ``To build a team is a quite long process and is not an easy process, especially to find the best sailors.

``Now, we can select a crew from best Soviet sailors and from best American sailors. We can enjoy the best potential of both our countries.

``It will not be a collection of stars. It should be one team with one goal.``

``What we`re really doing is testing crew members,`` said Bob Thompson, who`s in charge of acquiring corporate sponsors. ``For the next Whitbread, we want the best crew we can have. This starts the elimination process.``

Thompson hopes to have a new boat built and a crew ready to sail it six months before the 1993-94 Whitbread starts in September 1993.

Murnikov has never sailed in the Montego Bay Race, but he has competed in similar races in the Soviet Union, such as the Baltic Sea Cup, a three-stop, 1,000-mile offshore race, and the Black Sea Cup, which is more than 1,000 miles, including one leg of more than 500 miles. Although sailing in the race will accomplish several objectives, including generating publicity for Fazisi USA and possibly attracting sponsors, Murnikov said winning also is a goal.

``If you participate in a race, you want to win,`` Murnikov said. ``For this particular race, we have a good chance to win. First of all, we have a good crew. Second, it`s a long offshore race and our crew is good in long offshore races.``